The first part of this story isn’t about local Iowa venison, but about my local Iowa barber. His name is Marv, and his shop is called, in fact, Iowa Barbers. I started going to him for haircuts a year or so after I moved here, which was about twenty years ago in 2014. He has been my two boys’ barber, too, at least until they started cutting their own hair (one for swimming, one for hipstering).
One summer a few years after I moved to Iowa, I left my small college in Iowa to go teach Russian in a small college in Vermont. I always have a garden, and this summer job presented a dilemma, since I would be gone for nine weeks. I solved this problem, I thought, by finding a couple of students, Yuri and Sergei, let’s call them (their actual names), who were staying in town over the summer. Their only task was to mow and take care of the yard. As for the garden, I said it would be nice if they were to weed from time to time. Sometime in August, I was starting to think of the return trip, and of the garden bounty that comes in late summer, especially the usual flood of tomatoes. I had also heard from friends that our yard had become the topic of local conversation–as is always the case in the village I live in when someone’s grass grows to two feet or so. So I called Yuri and Sergei.
Apparently there had been an “organizational issue” with a large branch that had fallen in the yard, thus precluding any mowing. And from what they could tell, there were no tomatoes in sight. I don’t remember what I told them, and there was not much I could do from Vermont. But what I do remember was what we found on our return. When we arrived home, after the long drive from Vermont, my oldest son, then about 10 years old, ran out back to play, and came right back, excitedly telling me we had a jungle growing in the back yard. It was a pretty accurate description: the entire space of the garden (about 60′ x 30′) was filled with 8-10 foot tall ragweed. Stems the diameter of a small child’s arm. Three pick-up loads heaped full. And, Yuri and Sergei were right: there were no tomatoes. I could discern the faint traces of plants, and that was about it. Not a single fruit. (And see one of my entries on tomatoes to see what I’m accustomed to.) I couldn’t really get mad at our Russian students, Yuri and Sergei–not just because they were students, but also because out initial conversation took place in Russian, and I had used the conditional in talking about weeding (it would be nice), and in that language, this form leaves much more to interpretation than in English. Needless to say, though, my garden disaster was on my mind when Marv, my Iowa barber, asked me how my garden had turned out while I was gone. I told him the story, and we had a good laugh. What happened a few days later, though, was pretty unexpected: Marv showed up on my doorstep, with a big bag of his own tomatoes. It was such a kind gesture, and so much a part of why living in a small town can be pretty amazing. I’ve never forgotten that gift, and I’ve tried to return it from time to time with vegetables from my garden.
Back to venison: Marv also keeps his fingers on the pulse of this town, and always has lots of information about goings on, what’s available, whom to hire, that kind of thing. And a few years ago he put me in contact with another wonderful Iowan, a local farmer, who is mentioned elsewhere on foodiowa. The reason he comes to mind yet again is because he called me last December with an offer of a hindquarter of a deer he’d just butchered. I had already received a deer from a friend, so my freezer was pretty full–but I can never turn down venison, so I readily agreed. He dropped it by later that day, and I began to plot on things to do with it. One idea that I’d been contemplating was a shepherd’s pie with ground venison. Below is what I came up with, more or less; it’s a very easy recipe, really, and is open to endless variation. (Don’t be intimidated by the dried mushrooms and talk of deglazing–these steps can be omitted or modified.)
Shepherd’s Pie with Iowa Venison.
Ingredients
filling:
1 pound of ground venison (you could also substitute beef or lamb, or create a blend with the venison)
1 onion, diced
2-3 large carrots, diced
1-2 parsnips, diced
1 or two ribs of celery, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mushrooms, quartered
3-4 dried mushrooms (morels, shiitakes, boletus–any will do)
1/2 cup brandy 1 cup dry white or red wine
1/2 stick butter
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cube mushroom, beef, or vegetable bouillon, dissolved in a cup of water
salt and pepper
pinch of dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
If using dried mushrooms, reconstitute in wine. Then sauté the onions and venison in oil until almost done, then add half the garlic. While it is sautéing, season generously with salt and pepper. Once the venison is cooked, and the onions are just starting to brown, add brandy to deglaze the pan. (It may catch on fire, which is good, and impressive–but be careful! It should die down quickly). Set this mixture aside. Sauté the carrots, parsnips and celery in the butter and olive oil until almost tender, add mushrooms and rest of garlic, and continue cooking until all vegetables are tender, and the liquid from the mushrooms is almost evaporated. Dice and add the rehydrated mushrooms, if using, and deglaze the pan with the white wine, and cook until almost evaporated. Add the venison mixture, and stir to mix, and bring to a fairly high heat. Add the flour, and sauté, constantly stirring, until the flour is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, the thyme, and the parsley. Cook until thickened, and set aside.
topping:
Ingredients:
1-2 peeled and finely diced parsnips
3-4 pounds potatoes
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 eggs
1-2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (or use any strong flavored cheese; you can also mix in other types of cheese; this is a good way to use up small ends of cheese in your refrigerator)
salt and white pepper to taste
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, add diced parsnips, season with salt and white pepper, and sauté until well-browned; set aside. Peel, cube, and boil the potatoes in salted water until very tender; drain, and mash. Add rest of butter, sour cream, eggs, reserved parsnips, and cheese.
assembly:
Grease two loaf pans or one 9″ x 9″ casserole dish. Put venison mixture in bottom; divide evenly if using loaf pans. Layer the potato mixture on top of venison layer, trying to seal edges. (These can be made ahead and refrigerated for later use.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or 30-35 minutes if pies have been refrigerated), and then broil until browned on top. Serve with a green salad.
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